EsTaBLiShiNG ShOt

Hi guys, so on YouTube I found this video, by RhinoCameraGear. It's a short video all on how to shoot establishing shots effectively and how to get our viewers more engaged with the film. My favorite point from the video was the use of three different camera gear to display different forms of establishing shots. Due to the fact that I want to use a drone shot for the establishing shot of my opening, I believe that the one that Rhino used in his video fit my liking the most. 

Here's the video:

I was really intrigued to the concept that our establishing shot has to be perfect. It will set the setting and the mood for the whole film, and I believe that a drone shot from over the train station, mixed with the natural city sounds will present our film well. However, the drone we were going to borrow is not readily available, due the the fact that the owner is on a trip. Hopefully, we can record the establishing shot at a later date and edit it into the video.


RhinoCameraGear. “Shooting ESTABLISHING SHOTS to Make Your Film More Engaging | Move with Rhino - Ep17.” YouTube, YouTube, 2 June 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_h6Eb4MwhI.

Clothing Moodboard

Hi guys, so we have a mood-board for how we want our actors to dress in the film. Due to the fact that the girl is a more outgoing and spontaneous individual, we want to look a little more hippie-like, with a wavy dress and some jewelry. Also, due to the fact that she will be dancing ballet, we would want her to wear ballet shoes so the audience can easily identify what she is doing.
For the guy, he is going to be more business casual. He is a little more shy and to-himself, which is the differences that brings them together early in their lives. He is wearing something a little more business-like, such as a polo or a button-down, as if he is going to work or to an interview.
Overall, I'm really happy on how easy it was for my partner to make this on canva, and I myself am becoming more and more fond of canva.

An actual storyboard?

Hey guys, so my group finally made the final touches and edits to the storyboard, and I have to say, it looks really good. I feel as if the use of a storyboard gives you guys (our audience) some insight as to what the film will look like. The location of our film opening, the train station allows for a lot of open shots with props that will add an emotional connection but can also make the opening seem more whole and genuine. I'm really enjoying blogging to you guys as well as finishing up on the final touches before we begin recording on the 17th, which is already next week! AHHH! I can't wait, and I'll make sure to tell you guys everything about how it went. 

Receiving Critiques

Hi guys, so in class today, we split into groups of five for feedback on each others projects. I found it too be really helpful as I was able to discuss my ideas and receive proper feedback. I shared my ideas and the process me and my group will go through to achieve our purpose through our film opening. I believe that the discussion in between groups was a great way to promote communication and ideas into one another's projects. The group I joined was very fond of my idea and they believed it had potential to be really good. I also felt like giving ideas to other groups gave me some insight into my project. It made me think about all the different ways my partner and I can approach the film. 

Storyboard

Hi guys, so me and my group have decided on what we want to do for the storyboard. After some discussing and brainstorming, our film opening will be split into 5 parts. 

1. Like I said in a previous post, my group and I want to implement a drone shot of the train station. This will be used as an establishing shot to set the location and time of the scene. In the shot, the introduction, such as the title, director, actors, etc. can be placed in a nice and minimal font, and the whole scene will have faint modern music playing the background. My group member suggested a group called Farmacos, and to be honest, I have never heard about them, but I trust in my group members ideas. 

2.  The second shot will be a close up of feet walking across the train station. This will show the actors movement in the film. A few seconds later, our male actor can start reciting the poem. (Still in play)

3. After this, the male actor will stop and take off the headphones he is using, and the music will stop with the action of him taking off his headphones. This can be set in a medium shot to express the actors emotions, actions. This shot will be used to allow the audience to see the man behind the voice. 

4. Classical music begins playing, and a young ballet dancer can be seen dancing around the train station for donations. She dances to the song, and money is seen falling into a bag. 

5. Finally, in a long shot, the dancer is followed using a tracking shot across the train station, where she trips, and is caught by the boy, and that is where the opening comes to a close. 

I'm extremely satisfied with the ideas of my group and I, and I believe that this film opening can be something really great, and I want you guys here EVERY step of the way. 

Snippetsssssss

Hi guys, so in terms of our poem, my group and I have worked on a possible poem that can be recited. It will be read in the Spanish language from North-Eastern Spain. My group member decided the best reason for this would be that it has a nice aesthetic to it, and it will undertone the immigrants living in the United States. We also share a mutual friend that speaks the language, and the accent itself adds a nice touch to the opening. Here's what we have so far in terms of the poem:


Soy un tulipan, y tu eres el agua

Me ahogo en tus infinidades
Me pierdo en tus aventuras

Corro en tus indecisiones

No me encuentro en tus locuras

Me encanto con tus maneras de confundirme

Eres mi debilidad
Estoy perdido en tu ignorarme
Ir escapar de tu principio de tu marchad
Soy un tulipan, y tu eres el agua

This translates to:

I am a tulip, and you are the water

I drown in your infinity

I get lost in your adventures
I run in your indecisions

I can't find myself in your madness

Charmed with yours ways of confusing me
You're my weakness

I'm lost in your ignoring me
Going and escaping from your start to your departure
I am a tulip, and you are the water

I have to give full credit to my partner who came up with the poem, and she took influence from a class she is taking, AP Spanish Literature.

Storyboard?

Hi guys, so me and my group are going through the process of making a storyboard. As soon as we finish up, we are gonna post it here so you can guys can see the process we go through. I believe that posting the story will connect us more to our audience, and it will create a connection as they follow us through our journey. The setting and location of the film is already set to take place at the train tracks, and hopefully we can get drone shots from up top in a cinematic view to creating a good vibe from our location. Recording in the real world compared a controlled environment can lead to certain problems, but our budget only allows us to film in an open environment. That does not mean our film will look cheap, as we will work as hard as possible to make it seem as high quality and professional on our tight budget. We have big plans, so stay tuned!

Romance Research

a. Genre - Romance
b. Content - Romance movies are usually movies centered around love and emotions. It usually centers around a classic theme of boy meets girl and they fall in love. However, a lot of the romances are centered around an obstacle the lovers must overcome, such as financial issues, disease, death, etc. The films are usually targeting female audiences, as the romance genre pertains more to females than males. Also, bright colors and more feminine colors such as pink, red, white, etc. are used in the films. Can sometimes end in a "happy ever after" story, but not always. 
c. Production - In a romance film, an establishing shot sets the setting of the story, and mid shots are used to used to show emotion in a character and create a connection to the audience. Two-shots show a relationship between two characters, in this case, two lovers. Long shots are also used to show the surrounding environment of a characters and their actions. There are many different forms of romantic films, sub genres that include romantic comedies, historical romance, chick-flick, or dramas. Sounds such as a musical instrument or everyday cues set the tone of the story. Also, clothes and makeup choice sets the time frame and the location. 
d. Film Example #1 - Titanic is a love story of two teenagers who embark on the R.M.S Titanic. Society girl Rose DeWitt Bukater is on her way to Philly to marry her snob husband, when she meets young aristocrat Jack Dawson. The film goes through their nights aboard the boat, dancing and having a fun time with each other.  The boat later crashes, leaving the film with a gloomy ending. 
e. Film Example #2 - Romeo and Juliet (1968) is an iconic romance film that begins with two families in Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets, who are in an never-ending duel with one another. Young Romeo Montagues goes out to a party, and meets Juliet Capulet, and immediately falls in love at first sight. They each share affection towards each other, but know that they're families will never allow it. They both end up killing themselves in the end, yet again leaving the romantic film with a sad ending. 
f. Examples:

Railroads

Hi guys, so me and my group are in the midst of planning for the film opening. In terms of characters, we don't know how many people we will be using yet, but it will comprise of at least 2 people, and maybe more. The numbers are still in play as we decide the best move for the film. We thought that since this will be a romantic film, the opening should only focus on two main characters. We plan on using a guy, the male lover, recite a poem, sort of like a voice over. He told us he is readily available so that's wonderful news! Now, we are on the hunt for a young girl, who can potentially dance. We will let you know our process on finding the actor.

In terms of technical elements, as this is a romantic film opening, we will be using a slow melody to match the theme. The costume design will be of what we teens use everyday(jeans and a shirt). The opening will be centered on modern times and modern romance, so that is where we got the idea to keep the clothing modernized. We also plan to use as much natural light as we possibly can, to keep the shots bright and full of life as we tell the story in the film. A train station during noon will provide our opening with plenty of natural sunlight and a feeling of warmth. My group ultimately believes that a romantic film opening scene at the train station is the right way to go! Technologically, I believe that we should keep technology to a minimum, as I am someone who firmly believes that the use of technology hinders our ability to view around us, and the story of a romantic couple shouldn't start from technology, but instead love at first site in the real world. 

so, so busy

Hi guys, so my group and I made a calendar on the days that we are able to film. As we are both heavily involved in after-school activities, we thought it would be efficient to make a schedule with the days we are available. This project is gonna take some late nights(ugh!), and several days to film, edit, and make final changes. We also plan on finishing before spring break, to not have it hanging over our heads, obviously, but if it comes to it and we need to work on it during spring break, then it won't be the end of the world. We are extremely excited to work on our romantic film opening and step into the shoes of the producers/actors that work on films everyday. 

We also had an amazing idea! We have a program close to where we live called "BECON" that has camera equipment readily available for film makers to borrow. This equipment will help my group and I in making our film opening as high quality as possible, and the high quality will provide our film opening with a clean and professional feel. We plan to use a 1080p camera that can shoot at high frames per second. This just means that our film will look high quality and it won't freeze up. Now, I have no experience with camera equipment, but I'll be sure to keep you guys updated on my journey!

Ideas

Hi guys, so, my group and I have decided on a new film opening, and I believe that it has much more potential than the action one I had come up with. My group and I are still in the brainstorming part of the film, but we believe that we are deciding on and drawing scenes in a train station. We believe that a train station develops a lot of context as well as setting in a film. 

My group and I also decided to research some popular train scenes, and we believe the most iconic are, "Brief Encounter," "Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat" by the Lumiere Brothers, and finally "Some Like it Hot." These films all provided us with the insight we needed to collaborate and discuss our ideas on the train station. Our film idea will hopefully introduce a romantic vibe, but with short narrative, we plan on building some mystery. (You can't wait to see it, I know!)